a. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to a fiber drum, and more particularly, a drum with an integral skid to allow the drum to be handled by mechanized means. The drum also has features which allow several drums to be stacked safely.
b. Description of the Prior Art
Fiber drums are frequently used for shipping and storing various goods. They are preferred in certain fields over other types of drums, such as metallic drums because they are lightweight, yet strong. Frequently, to save storage space, it is desirable to stack several drums on top of each other. However, the fiber drums produced until now had flat tops and bottoms and could not be stacked safely.
Another consideration for drums is that a filled drum can be quite heavy and must be handled by using mechanized means, such as fork lifts. However, fiber drums made until now could not be handled easily with fork lifts. Therefore, frequently fiber drums are mounted on external skids. However, these skids are expensive, and furthermore securing a drum to a skid is time consuming and may compromise the integrity of the drum.